Metering sprayer device



July 10, 1962 Filed Nov. 8, 1960 SONIA BORIS 3,043,524

NEE JOKELSON METERING SPRAYER DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 July 10, 1962 SONIA BORIS NEE JOKELSON METERING SPRAYER DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 8, 1960 m .5 a M ii:

United States 3,043,524 METERING SPRAYER DEVICE Sonia Boris, ne Jokelson, Paris, France, assignor to So-- This invention relates to an improved sprayer device having means for metering the quantity of material sprayed at each actuation of the device.

Conventional sprayer devices generally comprise a container for a store of material, e.g. liquid, to be sprayed, another container containing a store of gas under pressure, a jet or spray-nozzle such as a Venturi nozzle, and a manually-operable valve member, usually in the form of a spring pressed, finger-actuated, plunger, actuation of which connects the gas container with the spray nozzle for discharging therethrough a jet of the gas with minute droplets of liquid entrained therewith.

The quantity of spray discharged in such a device at each actuation of the valve member depends on the length of time the valve member remains actuated since throughout such time the delivery of gasto the spray nozzle remains established. This precludes the possibility of accurately metering the quantity of spray discharged. An object of the invention therefore is to provide a sprayer device in which such metering is made possible with a high degree of accuracy. Another object is to provide a sprayer device having two different modes of operation,

' atent in one (conventional or continuous) mode the device acting to discharge spray for so long as the valve member remains actuated, while in the other or metering mode the device acts to discharge a limited metered amount or" sprayper actuation of the valve member, means being provided for easily switching from one to the other mode of operation.

' Basically the sprayer device of the invention may be characterized in that it includes a metering chamber adapted to be alternately placed in communication with the gas container or with the spray nozzle. When the chamber communicates with the gas container it is filled with an amount of gas at the high pressure existing in the container. On thereafter being placed in communication with the nozzle, the said amount of gas entrapped in the metering chamber is discharged through the nozzle entraining liquid droplets therewith in the usual way in the form of spray, the quantity of spray thus discharged being strictly limited or metered in accordance with the metering chamber volume.

A sprayer device according to the invention may be either of the type using a conventional dipper tube adapted for use in normal position ie with the liquid container held 'upr-ight, or of the type adapted for use in inverted position of the liquid container, and wherein the liquid is delivered to the nozzle by gravity or by the suction created 'in said nozzle by the discharge of gas therethrough.

. In one specific. embodiment of the invention the meter ing chamber is provided as an e.g. annular recess formed in a spool-like valve member formed integrally with an actuating plunger or push-botton, and slidable in a valve bore into which discharge two axially-spaced passages respectively connected with the spray nozzle and the gas reservoir, the spacing between the points at which said conduits open into the valve bore being greater than the axial length of the metering chamber, whereby only one or the other of said passages can at any time be eifectively connected with the chamber, depending on the position of the valve member.

The metering chamber may be formed with an exten- "ice sion in the form of a longitudinally extending groove, so that by imparting to the valve spool a rotational displacement to position such groove in register with that one of said passages connected to the gas store, a continuous communication may be established between the gas reservoir and the nozzle, whereupon the sprayer device will operate in the conventional mode to discharge a jet of spray as long as the valve member remains in actuated position Preferably, the valve member or spool is arranged simultaneously to operate a cutoff valve element adapted to out 0113 the connection from the liquid container (or dipper tube) to the spray nozzle in the position of the valve member in which the chamber communicates with the gas container, and establish such connection in the alternate position of the valve member. Spring means may be provided for urging the valve member to said first position. The said cut-off valve may be operated from the valve member by way of a lost-motion connection or the like, to ensure that the connection from the liquid container to the spray nozzle is effectively established at the time the connection from the metering chamber to the spray nozzleis established, this arrangement being of especial advantage in sprayer constructions where a dipper tube is included.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention will now be described for purposes of illustration but not of limitation with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an axial cross sectional view of a first sprayer construction according to the invention, using an inverted liquid container, shown in its inverted position of use;

FIG. 2 is an end view from the bottom of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a portion of the sprayer of FIG. 1 in the operated position of the valve member;

FIG. 4 shows a portion of the sprayer of FIG. 1 in the operated position of the valve member, but with the valve member being set to the continuous-spray mode of operation;

FIG. 5 is an axial cross sectional View of another sprayer according to the invention embodying an upright liquid container and dipper tube.

As shown in FIG. 1, the sprayer device comprises a body 1 threadedly connected with the neck 2a of a container 2 containing a store of liquid to be sprayed, through a sealing gasket 3.

Slidably mounted in a blind axial bore 4 of body 1 is a valve member or spool 5 which projects beyond the lower end of the body to provide an actuating plunger or button 6. The valve spool is formed with an annular recess providing a metering chamber 7 which is adapted to communicate either with a passage or port 8 connected with the inlet end of a conventional Venturi-type spray nozzle, or with a passage or port 10 communicating at its other end with the interior of a container or reservoir 11 for compressed gas, e.g. air. ports 8 and 10 is greater than the axial length of chamber 7, so that the chamber cannot communicate with both ports at the same time. A passage '12 connects the throat section of Venturi spray nozzle 9 with the bottom opening of the liquid container 2, which opening however is normally sealed by a cut-off valve head 13 secured to the end of a rod 14 coaxially and integrally projecting from the valve member 5. A spring 15 acting between an inner end surface of bore 4 and a shoulder of valve member 5 urges the valve member and valve head to an idle position in which the meeting chamber 7 communicates with gas-reservoir port 10 but not with the nozzle 9, and wherein cut-01f valve head 13 seals the liquid-container orifice.

In a side of valve member 5 is a longitudinal groove 20 one end of which connects with metering chamber 7,

and the valve member 5 can be selectively rotated aboutv The spacing between,

spears-l its axis to either of two angular positions in one of which (as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3) the groove 20 is positioned out of register with port 16 and in the other of which (FIG 4)'the groove 29 registers with port 10. For this purpose a centrally perforated disk 16 is slidably but nonrotatably keyed to an. outer end portion of valve memher 5 by means of an inward projection 16a of perforated disk 16 slidably projecting into a keyw-ay 17 formed in the valve member 5 (in the portion thereof constituting the push-button 6). Disk '16 is formed With an arcuate slot 19 through which extends a screw 18 threaded into a tapped hole formed in the bottom end of body 1. Thus the valve member and disk can be bodily rotated together between a continuousspray position in which groove 20 registers with port 103 which position is indicated by means of an index mark 21 (FIG. 2) on the disk registering with an index mark C on the sprayer body, and a metered-spray position in which groove 26 is displaced out of register with port =14), this position being indicated by index mark 21 registering with an index mark D on the sprayer body.

The sprayer device operates as follows: It is first assumed that the indexing disk 16 and valve member have been rotated to the D position so that the sprayer operates'in the metered-spray mode. Normally owing to the action of spring the valve member is positioned as in FIG. 1 so that metering chamber 7 communicates with gas passage 19 only and valve head 13 seals the liquid container orifice. Metering chamber 7 therefore contains a certain volume of gas at the relatively high pressure obtaining in reservoir 1=1.

With the sprayer held in' the inverted position shown, if the push-button 6 is depressed to displace the valve member 6 upwardly, as shown in FIG. 3, valve head 13 uncovers the liquid container orifice so that liquid can now flow through conduit 12 to the throat of nozzle 9. Simultaneously valve member 5 is moved to disconnect the metering chamber 7 from the gas passage 10 and connect the chamber with nozzle passage 8, whereby the metered volume of gas entrapped in chamber 7 is discharged through the spr-ay nozzle 9, carrying with it an amount of liquid in finely divided form to produce a jet of spray. It will thus be evident that the quantity of spray discharged is strictly limited and metered in accordance with the volume of metering chamber 7.

If new the valve member 5 and disk 16 are rotated by action on button 6 so as to bring index 21 to the D setting, groove 29 is brought into register with gas port 10 (FIG. 4). In this condition, depression of button 6 will bring metering chamber 7 into communication with nozzle port 8, as before, but the communication of the chamber 7 with gas port 10 will not be discontinued owing to the presence of groove 20. Gas is now enabled to flow continuously from gas reservoir 11 to spray nozzle and the sprayer operates in the so-called continuousspray mode.

In the embodiment of FIG. 5, the sprayer body has a dipper tube 22 depending therefrom into the liquid reservoir. The connection between the upper end of the dipper ber 5 and a shoulder of cutofi valve shank 24 to urge the stop 25 into engagement with the valve member 5.

The operation of this embodiment is generally similar to that previously described except for the lost-motion connection provided from valve member 5 tocutoii valve head 23 through the shank 24. Thus, on depression of button'o valve head 23 is first unseated to connect the dipper tube 22 with conduit 12 until the movement of valve head 23 and shank 24 is arrested by engagement with the top of the dipper tube, whereupon further depression of button 6 compresses-weak spring *27, and then establishes communication from the metering chamber to the nozzle inlet port as previously described. Releasing the button 6 will first cause upward movement of valve member 5 to disconnect the metering chamber from the nozzle port, and only thereafter will actuate the cutofit valve 23 to seal the dipper tube orifice, after the valve member 5 has engaged the stop 25' to raise the shank 24.

It will be understood that various modifications may be made in the constructions illustrated and described, as by including certain features of one construction in the other construction, or other changes.

What I claim is:

l. A sprayer device comprising a spray nozzle, a container for gas under pressure having an outlet for the latter, a container for material to be sprayed having an outlet for the latter extending to said nozzle, means defining a metering chamber and being movable between a first position, in which only said outlet for gas under pressure opens into said metering chamber, and a second position, in which said metering chamber communicates with said nozzle, and actuating means for selectively disposing said means defining a metering chamber in said first and second positions thereof so that, when in said first position, a metered quantity of gas under pressure determined by the volume of said metering chamber enters the latter from said container for the gas and, when moved to said second position, the metered quantity of gas under pressure escapes from said metering chamber through said nozzle along with material to be sprayed from said container for such material.

2. A sprayer device as in claim 1; further comprising -a valve for closing said outlet for the material to be sprayed, said valve being movable with said means defining a metering chamber to close and open said outlet for, the material to be sprayed in said first and second positions, respectively, of the means defining a metering chamber.

3. A sprayer device comprising a body having a bore therein with first and second passages extending from said bore at axially spaced apart locations along the latter, a first container for gas under pressure having an outlet communicating with said first passage, a spray nozzle carried by said body and communicating with said second passage, a plunger slidable in said bore and having a recess in the surface of the plunger to define a metering chamber, the axial extent of said recess on the plunger being less than the axial distance along said bore between said first and second passages so that said chamber can only alternatively communicate with said first and second passages, a second container for material to be sprayed, conduit means extending from said second container to said nozzle, and means for displacing said plunger axially from a first position, where said metering chamber communicates with said first passage to receive a metered quantity of gas under pressure from said first container determined by the volume of said chamber, to a second position, where said chamber communicates with said second passage for discharging said metered quantity of gas under pressure through said nozzle along with material to be sprayed reaching said nozzle from said second container by way of said conduit means.

4. A sprayer device as in claim 3; wherein said spray nozzle is of the venturi type having a throat at which said conduit means opens while said second passage opens axially into the venturi type spray nozzle so that the discharge of the metered quantity of gas under pressure through said nozzle induces the flow of material to be sprayed from said second container through said conduit means to said nozzle for atomizing by said gas.

5. A sprayer device as in claim 3; wherein said conduit means has a valve seat interposed therein between said second container and nozzle; and further comprising a valve movable with said plunger to engage said valve seat and close said conduit means when said plunger is in said first position, and to move away from said valve seat and thereby open said conduit means when said plunger is moved to said second position.

6. A sprayer device as in claim 5; wherein said valve is axially aligned with said plunger and fixed relative to the latter.

7. A sprayer device as in claim 5; wherein said valve is axially aligned with said plunger, and lost-motion connection means is provided between said valve and said plunger to unseat and seat said valve during a portion of the movement of said plunger from and to said first position.

8. A sprayer device as in claim 3; wherein said recess extends annularly around said plunger and the latter further has a second recess of limited angular extent extending axially from the first mentioned recess in the direction opposed to the axial movement of said plunger from said first position to said second position; and wherein said plunger is turnable in said bore to selectively angularly space and register said second recess with respect to said first passage so that, when said plunger is in said second position, registration of said second recess with said first passage, permits gas under pressure to flow from said first passage and through said second and first recesses and said second passage to said spray nozzle for continuous spraying from the latter of material reaching the nozzle from said second container.

9. A sprayer device as in claim 3; wherein said second container for the material to be sprayed is inverted and carried by said body above said nozzle.

10. A sprayer device as in claim 3; wherein said second container for the material to be sprayed is suspended from said body below said nozzle, and said conduit means includes a dipper tube depending from said body into said second container.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,575,632 Lipman Nov. 20, 1951 2,722,345 Van Buren Nov. 1, 1955 2,772,814 Meyers Dec. 4, 1956 2,892,576 Ward June 30, 1959 

